Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Our API group in front of the Universidad de Belgrano.


A Day in Buenos Aires

Every morning I wake up to the warmth of my space heater, making my little bedroom comfortable. Outside my window, I can see the early rays of the sunrise at 8am. The kids have all left for school already, so it is quiet in the house. I check google weather to see what day I have ahead of me, usually to find yet another beautiful sun shining day. I have instant coffee with Romi and Julio and sometimes munch on granola or sweet dulce de leche spread on a bread roll. I have my keys and my subway pass in my pocket as I leave the apartment to meet Eliza at our Callao subway stop. While walking the three blocks to meet her I look for the fast moving taxis and marvel at the colorful buses that whiz by. Business men walk past me in suits, accompanied by the many dog walkers of the city who’s packs of hounds sniff my legs. I pass by the park where people wake up early to do their morning yoga. They look like synchronized dancers, moving perfectly together. The pigeons scatter out of my way as I make my way finally to the station. Me and Eliza endure a long commute to the other side of the city to Belgrano. The old neighborhood is rich with embellished buildings and tall green palm trees. We walk three more blocks off the subway and pass elementary schools busy with eager learners. We chat about our nights and the silly things our families do. We have to pay attention to our step because of the cobblestones under our boots. On every corner we pass a market who’s store is glowing with the bright fruit of Argentina such as, oranges, mamons and aguais. We are greeted by the university’s grand glass building at the top of the hill. It almost looks out of place because it is so modern and the surrounding buildings are white with clay and brick. The flags of the international student’s home countries wave proudly against the Belgrano sign. Students gather in packs on the outdoor patio before hurrying to class. We take the glass elevator seven stories up and part ways at the top to our classrooms. I am greeted by Eugina, our professor, and five other American students. During class, we can hear the roar of students upstairs in the cafeteria cheering for the futbol game. After a few hours of Spanish, we too retreat upstairs to have an empanada and watch the match. We come downstairs to finish class, which makes it difficult to pay attention when I can see the magnificent city outside my window. All the residents of the buildings have patio gardens and rooftop jungles. After class, my fellow API group members gather outside of school for a quick lunch to fuel ourselves for our city excursions. We walk the city and explore the different neighborhoods. My favorite neighborhood is Puerto Madero, where the old government buildings are contrasted by the new luxurious hotels, such as new multiplex cinemas, theaters and cultural centers. It is now one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. Old ships line the walls of the port, which is held together by the white tooth pick looking Puente de la Mujer bridge. We peek into the magnificent granite churches, furnished with massive pulpits and golden ceilings holding dancing cherubs. The vendors outside line the streets, trying to catch our eyes with shining jewelry and handcrafted goods. They play drums and drink and sing while the people pass by their tarps of art. At night, the Casa Rosada, the heart of the Plaza de Mayo, where the president of Argentina Christina Fernandez de Kirchner works glows bright with the pink lights that illuminate its grand balconies and walls. Buses circle around to let tourists catch a glimpse of the historic buildings. While walking around the plaza, the smell of the sweet sugar coated peanuts roasting in hot brass bowls makes me hungry. We grab the next subway ride home, packed tight with tired workers. Luckily, we are only a few stops away. We follow the direction of the crowd which drops us off at our busy street, Avenue Santa Fe. We window shop as we pass by the lighted windows of the stores. They are full with boots of all shapes and colors and fashionable clothes straight from the magazines. As we walk we can smell the restaurants cooking dinner for the early crowd, for it is only 8pm here. We are eager to get to our own houses where dinner will be cooking. The kids are busy with homework and studying, and I too take out my homework. Romi serves us dinner late when Julio gets home from work. We all sit as a family in the kitchen and enjoy the gnocchi and bread made fresh. We all laugh at Nacio’s jokes and listen about each other’s days. After dinner we settle down for the night and finish the last of our work. Although all is calm inside, outside the world is bustling with taxis and bright lights. I hear the kids laughing as they walk home. I’m glad to be where I am, amidst the sights and sounds and family.


Monday, June 28, 2010

The First Steps


After arriving in Buenos Aires me and my API group of five other American students from all over the United States stayed at a hotel downtown. The city is divided into regions or neighborhoods to house over 13 million people. The city has over 40 neighborhoods or “barrios” including; Belgrano, Puerto Madero, Recoleta, Retiro, Palermo and La Boca. Belgrano is in the North western part of the city, opposite of La Boca which is in the South east. Retiro is the central neighborhood, close to Palermo which is farther north. The neighborhoods are all unique and different in their architecture, culture and people which mirrors that of turn of the century European style. However, it also has well preserved districts of the typical colonial architecture. While we stayed for a few days in our hotel in Palermo, we did much exploring and wandering on our own. I find this is the best way to learn all about a new city because while walking you stumble upon great unseen avenues and neighborhoods. As new students we were eager to jump right into the busy lifestyle of living in a foreign city. The first few days we had orientations about the city with our resident director, Carmen. She has helped us get to know the city better with both bus and bike tours of the many neighborhoods. We were able to walk the city and see first hand the monuments, architecture and people of Buenos Aires. We took the subte, and taxis and tried our luck with buses too! We traveled to see our University in Belgrano, to which we found is a marvelous one building university full of winter semester students from all over the world. After all of our orientations we were set to meet our host families. All six study abroad students with API will be staying with families in different parts of the city. I am staying with the Tejadas in the Barrio Norte/ Recoleta neighborhood. This part of the city is built up with new, glass buildings, marked with great billboards and streets lined with expensive fashion stores. The buses and taxis rumble by the windows all night long, but it is refreshing to hear life all night long after coming from a very suburban town in Massachusetts. Some people would not like this style living, but, it reminds you that we are a part of an evolving and growing community which is very much alive. My family here consists of Julio, a hard working single father of three teenage children; Ignacio, 10 years old, Macarena, 14 years old and Francisco, 17 years old. Nacio likes sports very much and we often play baseball and soccer on the outside patio. Maca is a spunky teenage girl who likes to sing American pop songs all day and dress in very cool clothes. Franc is in a rock band and always has his guitar handy to jam or make new songs. The kids are great at helping me learn Spanish, while I get to teach them some English too. We have fun watching the Argentina futbol games and talking about our homes. After a few days staying with them I had my first day of school at Universidad de Belgrano. I was accompanied by about 50 other American students who also will be taking the intensive language course with me. We have been split into classes according to our language level. I am in class with five other students in which we only speak Spanish in class, forcing us to test our knowledge and challenge ourselves. The class runs from 9:30am to 2:30pm, with short intervals in between. Although, it seems a long time to be in class, we are all so excited to be learning something constructive and useful. It is humbling to be so accepted by the people of Buenos Aires with my little language skills, where locals in the United States I find get frustrated quickly at the foreign travelers visiting. It really puts into perspective our human nature at work and the big picture of people.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Arrival in Argentina

The horizon of the Argentinian mountains is illuminated by an early 5am pink sunrise. Landing in Buenos Aires was very easy after meeting a friendly Argentinian couple in the Miami International Airport who helped me along. Baggage was fine although a little damp from the storm that had delayed my flight a few hours, and international customs was quick. I felt like I had Argentina in my hand until my international phone would not let me place calls, my blackberry had no signal and the airport had no wireless internet service. I suddenly felt stranded in the middle of an urban airport with no communication. After stressing for a few minutes and evaluating my area I kept thinking, “If I can get through this, than I can get through anything.” And I did. Flashing back 12 hours earlier and my journey starts in Miami International Airport. After my 2:30pm flight from Logan Airport in Boston to Miami I was more than excited to begin this adventure. I had a short layover in Miami before I boarded my plane to Buenos Aires for 8:30pm. Traveling in itself is a great adventure between baggage checks, waiting in terminals, passports and idle time, never mind the language barrier on top of that. Many families with small children also took the long flight and are also experiencing the same anxiety to touch down in Buenos Aires that I am. I am nervous about what awaits me, but also eager to start this journey. I have high expectations of friendly people, a lovely community and a culture rich with history and art and life. I am exhilarated to jump into this semester. I am hoping for the best, but I also know to expect the worst. It is difficult to leave behind the normalities and comfort of family and friends who wait for me in New England, but I know I am approaching a new life that will surprise me. Home is where you are happy, moreover where good people are. When I arrive in Argentina I will be staying with a family, as opposed to residence hall or apartment style living. This has given me a different outlook on the trip I have ahead of me. I can imagine the recreational parks I will walk by where the school kids play futbol after class. I can smell my breakfast of rich coffee and fruit from a small market store. I can hear the street dancers on the cobblestone alleys entertaining with their tango dancing. The familiar smell of the crisp salt of the Atlantic lingers a few blocks away. I imagine the laundry lines hanging from window to window, where below people gather on apartment stoops to gossip. After work and school the families will gather at home for a large dinner full of laughs and stories. I see Argentinians or “portenos” with great national pride, their blue and white striped flags waving proudly from their small apartment windows. With the World Cup in progress I can see the streets filled with excited fans chanting for Messi and Argentina’s national team to win it all. I expect my home to be filled with laughs and fun as I try to interact slowly with the three teenagers I will be sharing a home with. It will be interesting to see the communication between us as we have studied each others language in school. I see my college to be a spread campus, much different to that of Merrimack College. I hope to be able to interact with the students beyond the classroom. I see free time as an opportunity to test my language skills as well as interpersonal skills with the locals. I know I will be able to enjoy my environment and appreciate the gift of studying abroad. I expect the semester to fly by, but also give me an opportunity to stop and enjoy my place. As the plane door closes, another one opens.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

One Week

Almost a week before I leave my home for a five month excursion in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Between the excitement and countdown I am anticipating the fun challenge of studying abroad. Although I have been doing research on Argentinian culture, politics and traditions, I know that I will be emerged in a society much more rich than any resource can explain. I look forward to the differences between my normal routine at Merrimack College and the new routine I will have at Universidad de Belgrano. I have been trying to prepare myself for the language barrier with spanish CDs and books but, I also realize the most significant experience of studying in a foreign country is communicating with the locals by means of pantomiming and charades! I have heard that Rosetta Stone can familiarize you with the language, but the immersion in the spanish language will help the most. The familiar or slang terms in Spanish will be interesting to pick up, as well as teaching my host family some English terms. Packing for a trip like this is also a difficult task as well because although I have travelled before, I have never been away from home for five months before! I made sure to pack light, but have packed according to the geographic locale of Argentina. The seasons and weather will be much different than home, as July in Argentina is winter! Albeit, the Argentinian winter is typically 50- 60 degrees fahrenheit. I know there will be many differences in South America but I look forward to challenging myself and uncovering the beauty behind this magnificent experience!